1.
The LigonierValley Railroad

The Ligonier Valley
Railroad was built by Richard B. Mellon and his brothers to haul coal from the FortPalmer
mine 5 miles north of Ligonier to the Pennsylvania Railroad at Latrobe. It was
run by Judge Thomas Mellon (1813-1908) and in 1878 he built a picnic area and
campground at Darlington, which he called
Idlewild.A station was built and it
became a profit source for the railroads passenger trains. In 1931 Idlewild was
expanded to become an amusement park which is still popular today.The LVRR also was a connecting line for
passengers traveling between Somerset and Pittsburgh during the
period 1909-1916.The Pittsburgh,
Westmoreland & Somerset
connected at Ligonier.In addition to
passenger traffic its main commodity and purpose for existance was the timber
from the LaurelRidge.

The LVRR built a
beautiful station at Ligonier which still exist today as the local headquarters
of the PA Game Commission.The right of
way followed the Loyalhanna Creek west from Ligonier through the Loyalhanna Gorge.In 1951 the railroad was abandoned and the
right of way through the gorge was made the westbound lanes of US Route 30.

The portion of the
LVRR from the Norfolk Southern Pittsburgh Line to just west of Latrobe Steel is
operated by NS to service the Latrobe Steel plant.

Ligonier Station

Side view showing passenger platform

Westbound entrance to the Loyalhanna
Gorge

About halfway through the Loyalhanna
Gorge

Eastbound view at Latrobe Steel
switch.

Westbound view at Latrobe Steel.

Eastbound view at the Latrobe wye.

Westbound view at the Latrobe wye.

Norfolk Southern Latrobe Office.

Junction ofthe Ligonier Valley RR and PRR (now NS)

Latrobe Passenger platform

Latrobe Station.

On November 5th,
2002 The Ligonier Valley Library had a slide presentation of the LVRR by Bill
McCullough and Bob Stutzman of the Penn Ligonier RR Club. In addition there was
a handout which included this 1941 schedule.

On our recent
travels across Pennsylvania
we visited Bellefonte and Jim Thorpe and got some pictures.The weathermen were not co-operating so the
lighting is not the best.There are two
pictures added that I took from a ship on the Hudson River in New York City. The Central of New Jersey was
affected by the overcast and the reflections but I think it may be of some
interest.

Jim Thorpe is on the
Lehigh River.Originaly named Mauch Chunk it was renamed in honor of the Olympic
Athelete who attended school in this area.

We have all heard
of“Rails to Trails”, but here is a new
twist.The J & L Steel Hot Metal
bridge which connected the Southside Pittsburgh Plant with the Hazelwood Plant
has been made into a highway bridge.This bridge was used by their own railroad (I think it was called
Monongahela Connecting Railroad) to transport molten steel between the
plants.On the south side of the bridge,
the western half exits at a higher level.I have read that this was the line that had a dangerous curve in it and
lead to a higher level in the plant.

At GreenvillePa
the local National Railway Historical Society has a local chapter that has a
museum exhibiting Bessemer & Lake Erie Collection.They are open from Noon – 5PM on Saturday and
Sunday From May through October.In
addition they are open Tues-Friday from the second week in June through Labor
Day.

The
GreenvilleAreaRailroadMuseum.

1913 Greenville Empire Car.

Left side is DuluthMissabe & IronRange # 604

Right side is numbered Union RR 304

Its too complicated for me.I think my hand is on the brake.

0-10-4 arrangement is due to URR’s
short turntables.

Nine of these mamoth
engines were built for the Union Railroad in 1936 by Baldwin in Philadelphia. This is the
only one that wasn’t scrapped in 1960.This engine was Union Railroad # 304, but when replaced by diesels in
1949 became Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range
Railroad # 604Both railroads along
with the Bessemer and Lake
Erie were owned by the U S Steel Corporation.